EdRev 2011 Keynote address: control and trusting your instincts.

There are lots of great things to say about Todd Rose’s keynote speech this morning. Todd drew upon his personal experiences with ADHD and his research in education and neuroscience to talk about better ways to characterize what’s at stake in learning for kids with learning differences.

Todd had two big take-home messages from his talk–one for students, and one for their parents.

For students, he urged them to take control of their lives and become the experts on their own learning and their own behaviors. He had three tips:
* Be aware of how context shapes you.

*Know your own variability [that is, the thing that makes you different in a way that meaningfully impacts your life]. Know how to ask for help and what kind of help you need.

*Look out for your own weaknesses Sometimes you need to put barriers on your own way.

All of these, Todd argued, are elements of having control.

For parents, he urged them to never forget that they’re the best advocates and the best experts on their own children. While outside experts’ advice and insights can be enormously helpful, parents should never let those outside sources trump their own instincts. Parents know their children better–and know how to parent their children better–than any teacher, diagnostician, or other professional ever could. Trust your gut, he said.